Reduced Honeybee Pollen Foraging under Neonicotinoid Exposure: Exploring Reproducible Individual and Colony Level...

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Entomology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are crucial pollinators, with foraging behavior vital for colony survival.
• Sublethal doses of pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids, can disrupt essential honeybee foraging activities, especially pollen collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of sublethal imidacloprid exposure on honeybee foraging at individual and colony levels.
• To integrate field experiments, AI monitoring, and mechanistic simulations (BEEHAVE model) to understand pesticide impacts.

Main Methods:

• Conducted field experiments with sublethal doses of imidacloprid on honeybees.
• Utilized artificial intelligence (AI)-based monitoring technology for tracking foraging behavior.
• Employed the BEEHAVE mechanistic model to simulate and corroborate experimental findings.

Main Results:

• Confirmed that imidacloprid selectively reduces pollen foraging at the colony level, with minor effects on nectar foraging.
• Observed that exposed individual honeybees had longer pollen foraging trips, lower foraging frequency, and increased trip drifting.
• Individual behavioral changes aligned with BEEHAVE model predictions, validating simulation approaches.

Conclusions:

• Sublethal pesticide effects on individual honeybees, such as impaired cognition and metabolism, scale up to impact colony foraging dynamics.
• Combining experimental data with mechanistic modeling provides a powerful approach to understanding pesticide impacts on pollinators.
• The study offers a robust design for evaluating pesticide effects in realistic landscapes, enhancing ecological risk assessments.